


Roll for Initiative

by benjaminrussell



Category: Shadow of the Templar - M. Chandler
Genre: Dungeons and Dragons, First Kiss, Get together fic, M/M, the guys play D&D
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 21:00:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17108033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benjaminrussell/pseuds/benjaminrussell
Summary: Johnny’s cousin comes to visit and Nate is surprised to find out that Johnny ‘Badass’ Pilgrim plays D&D. Which of course doesn’t intensify his crush on the man, because that would mean that he had those sort of feelings for him in the first place, which he definitely doesn’t. Right?





	Roll for Initiative

“Hey Nate, you free tomorrow?” Johnny asked as he put away his laptop and gathered up his things. He and Nate had both had work they wanted to finish before the weekend, so now they were the only two members of Team Templar left in the office, which wasn’t surprising given that it was somewhere around half six on Friday night and they didn’t have a urgent case. Even Dave had left already. Now that was surprising.

“Huh?” Nate said, tearing his attention away from the document he’d been staring at and glancing over at his friend. It took a moment to process what Johnny had said, but his brain caught up before the other man could repeat himself so he replied, “Oh, uh, yeah. My mom’s having friends over so I could do with getting out of the house actually. Why, what were you thinking?”

“My cousin’s visiting. She wants to play D&D,” Johnny explained, pulling on his jacket and patting the pockets to check everything was there. Nate gaped at him, racking his brain for what Johnny could have actually said, because surely he hadn’t suggested what it sounded like he had. The closest Johnny ever came to ‘nerd shit’ was watching Game of Thrones, and did that even count anymore, given how popular it was?

“Y’know, Dungeons and Dragons,” Johnny clarified, obviously misinterpreting Nate’s lack of a response but making it clear that he had said what Nate’d thought he’d done. Nate shook off the shock and quickly replied, “Yeah, sorry. I know what D&D is, I was just certain I’d misheard you. You play?” He swivelled in his chair so he could save and close the paperwork, before turning back so he could give Johnny and this new revelation his full attention. He looked up at Johnny just in time to catch the tail end of a fond grin, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it as the older man nodded and said, “Not for years though.”

“Huh. I wouldn’t have guessed. But yeah, that sounds great,” Nate said, smiling and already thinking about character options.

“I’m pretty sure Dave and his girlfriend play, if you’re looking for more players,” He added, completely giving up on the report he’d been working on (or if he was being honest, blindly staring at and writing nothing). It wasn’t due until Tuesday anyway.

“I’ll text him if you want?” Nate offered, pulling out his phone in anticipation with one hand while closing his emails and logging off with the other. Sure enough, Johnny nodded again and replied, “Yeah.” A pause, and then he added, “Please.” Two unnecessary words! Nate felt honoured. In fact, he had noticed that Johnny spoke to him more than any of the others, but he wasn’t sure what it meant. Maybe Johnny liked teasing him, or maybe it was just because he could also be fairly quiet. He sent a quick text to Dave, and then realised that Johnny was stood waiting for him, so he quickly shoved all his stuff into his bag, glanced around the safe room to check he hadn’t left anything, and headed towards the door.

“What time should I come over?” He asked as they left the safe room, Johnny stopping the door slamming shut behind them by reflex even though there probably weren’t many people around still.

“After lunch?” Johnny suggested, looking down at Nate instead of where they were going. Then Nate’s phone pinged.

“Dave says he and Kiara are up for playing, and they’re also happy to host if you don’t want to try and cram everyone into your flat,” Nate told Johnny, grinning at the last words.

“Okay,” Johnny agreed, easily conceding that his flat wasn’t the best place for a reasonably sized gathering. He paused and then added, “Not seen his place.”

“It’s probably the nicest out of all of our places,” Nate told him, theatrically looking around to check no-one was listening before continuing, “Even Sandy’s. I think it probably comes from having a partner who works normal hours.” The corner of Johnny’s mouth quirked upwards, which was essentially a chuckle from him, and then he asked, “Oh?”

“Yeah, Kiara works at a publishing company, specialising in, uh, I think it’s educational stuff for kids?” Nate explained, trying to remember exactly what it was Dave’s girlfriend did. It was something along those lines anyway.

“Oh, have you got a DM?” Nate asked as the thought occurred to him. He’d led games a few times before so he could do it if necessary, although less than twenty four hours notice wasn’t much time to plan something new. Thankfully Johnny nodded and replied, “Oli’s got something planned.”

“Cool. Oli’s your cousin, right?” Nate’s keen FBI instincts told him it was, given that Johnny’s cousin was the only person who’d been mentioned whose name he didn’t know, but he figured there was no harm in clarifying, and anyway he liked talking to Johnny.

“Yeah,” Johnny confirmed, stepping ahead to push open the heavy exit door and hold it for Nate. “It’s short for Olivia but she’s been Oli since we were teens.”

“Makes sense,” Nate agreed, knowing well the feeling of not like liking your full name – Nate was much more him than Nathan. He smiled and murmured his thanks as he passed Johnny to exit the building, briefly being close enough to get a whiff of the ever present toothpick (today it was mint), mixed with the distinctive scent that was just Johnny. Then they took a right and headed to where Nate’s car and Johnny’s battered truck were parked a few spaces apart. They were both more alert as they approached the vehicles, a leftover habit from the aftermath of Faraday attacking Simon that none of them would probably ever shake off completely, but luckily the sheer terror that had pervaded that point of time had long since worn off. Unsurprisingly no-one was hidden between their vehicles, so their conversation resumed, neither of them mentioning the instinctive pause.

“Pick you up at 2?” Johnny asked, slinging his bag in a practiced motion onto the passenger seat, before turning back to Nate.

“Sounds good,” Nate replied with a grin, excited both to hang out with Johnny (and the others) and to play D&D for the first time in a while.

“See you tomorrow then,” He added as he walked around to the driver’s side of his car, digging his keys out of his pocket as he went.

“Drive safe,” Johnny said, voice completely deadpan but the sparkle in his eyes that Nate just caught as he rounded the trunk of the car giving away the fact that Johnny was teasing. Nate flushed, but there wasn’t really anything he could say in response. His track record of driving accidents was unfortunately well known. He settled for the very eloquent response of “Shut up,” causing Johnny to actually start chuckling aloud. Nate was torn between being pleased he’d caused that, and embarrassed because Johnny was laughing at him, so he just climbed into his car and set off (making very sure not to hit anything because he’d never live that down).

***

The next day, Nate had just finished clearing up after lunch when he noticed a car he didn’t recognise pull up outside the house. Johnny climbed out of the passenger side though, so guessing it must be Oli’s car, Nate hurried to the living room to poke his head in and let his mom know he was heading out. Then he grabbed his bag from the hallway where he’d left it earlier, pulled on a jacket, and reached the front door just as the doorbell rang. Unlocking the series of locks and latches with practiced ease, he pulled the door open and greeted Johnny with a grin.

“Hey,” Johnny said, returning the grin with a small quirk of his lips.

“Hello,” Nate replied, stepping onto the porch when Johnny moved out of the way, locking the door once more while asking, “So have you got your character ready?”

“Yep,” Johnny said, making no move to explain any further, and prompting Nate to ask hopefully, “Do I get any clues?” Johnny appeared to think about it for a moment, and then responded with a single word, “Melee.”

“Oh good. I’m playing a ranger so at least we’ve got some variation there,” Nate commented, deciding to take what he could get and not badger his friend – he’d find out soon enough after all. He followed Johnny down the path to the road and climbed into the backseat of the car, introducing himself to Johnny’s cousin once he was seated, even if all he could really see of her at that point was a shock of shoulder length purple hair.

“Hi, I’m Nate. Nice to meet you.” Oli twisted in the driver’s seat to give him a warm smile and replied, “Hi Nate, I’m Oli. Nice to meet you too.” He could see a little resemblance between her and Johnny now she was looking at him, just in the little things like face shape and the odd mannerism, although she already seemed more talkative than her cousin. Not that that was difficult. Then she grinned impishly and added, “I’ve heard lots about you.” Nate didn’t entirely know what to make of that. Johnny hadn’t told her all of the embarrassing things that had happened to Nate over the years, had he? No, surely not. Johnny wouldn’t do that. Some of the funnier stories, maybe, but probably not the things he knew Nate was most self conscious about. Johnny reached out lazily and punched Oli in the shoulder, prompting her to roll her eyes and turn back in her seat.

“So where am I going?” She asked as she turned the engine back on and got ready to set off.

“You want to head back the way you came, and then take a left at the intersection,” Nate told her, whilst quickly pulling google maps up on his phone, just to remind himself of the way to Dave and Kiara’s house. He’d been there several times before, but he’d noticed recently that he occasionally got distracted from what he was doing to, of all things, watch Johnny, and he really didn’t want that to happen now.

***

A while later, after a thankfully small amount of traffic, they pulled up outside Dave and Kiara’s house. It was small, but it looked nice and there was drive space for two cars, so it pained Nate to imagine how much it must cost. There was a reason he still lived with his mom after all. Climbing out of the car, he grabbed his bag and led Johnny and Oli up to the front door, pressing the doorbell and waiting until there was the sound of the door being unlocked and the door was pulled open to reveal Dave looking relatively put together for once.

“Hey Nate, Johnny,” He greeted them, waving a little, before looking to Oli and sticking his hand out, “I’m Dave, nice to meet you.” Oli shook it, nudging Johnny out of the way to do so, and replied with a smile, “You too. I’m Oli, Johnny’s cousin.” Then Dave seemed to realise they were all still stood on the porch and quickly stepped to one side, ushering them inside. Nate kicked off his shoes and then followed the sound of quiet music into the kitchen where Kiara was in the middle of clearing the last remnants of lunch off the dining table to make room for their game.

“Hi, how’s it going?” He asked as he put his bag down by his usual chair and set about helping her.

“Kinda hectic so you know, the usual,” Kiara replied with a grin, sweeping her dark braids back out of her face and tying them at the nape of her neck with a bright red hair tie. Her words reminded Nate that in her free time she was involved in running a LGBT book club as well as well as somehow managing to fit in a regular RPG night, which again he put down something that was possible because she worked regular hours (as well as the rest of her party). At that point Johnny wandered into the kitchen, closely followed by Oli, with Dave bringing up the rear. Nate looked around as Johnny took the seat next to him, turning back to the table just in time to catch the pensive gaze Kiara was shooting him. He flushed slightly and pretended to be focused on pulling out his dice and character sheet so he didn’t have to acknowledge the expression.

When he looked up again, Oli and Kiara had introduced themselves and were now chatting about previous games, Dave was fixing everyone drinks, and Johnny was building a tower out of dice. Nate watched him for a moment, until Dave knocked into the table whilst setting a couple of drinks down, causing the tower to tumble and the dice to scatter over the table.

“Hey, natural 20!” Nate pointed out with a grin, “Hopefully it’s a good omen for the game.”

Once they were all set up, Oli looked at each one of them in turn and suggested, “Why don’t y’all introduce your characters?”

“My name is Yevelda, and I’m a female half-orc with dark hair and grey skin. The most noticeable thing about me is the dark red scar that runs down the side of my face. I’m a ranger from the Northern Wilds, defending the outer edges of my clan’s lands,” Nate said, stepping into character for the introduction. He didn’t try and do a voice for Yevelda though because he was well aware that wasn’t remotely one of his skills and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself. Johnny followed suit, occasionally glancing down at his notes, saying, “I’m Rowan d’Antario, a half-elf dressed in the distinctive robes of the Pearl Dragon monastery. A bastard son of a human lord, despite being raised in his castle, I never had much of an aim in life until I found the monastery and dedicated myself to their goals.”

“I was brought up in a secret temple to Loviatar, the goddess of pain, but I hated having to endure all the needless violence so when I got the chance, I escaped and devoted myself to defeating evil in all its forms. My name is Malcer, and I’m a human with black hair, fair skin and blue eyes,” Dave told them next, making Nate feel like he should have come up with a more angsty backstory. Maybe it was good they hadn’t all gone for super dark characters though, especially for a one shot. Then they all turned towards Kiara so she could introduce her character, and going off the little smirk that flitted across her face, it would be a much more fun background.

“And now for one of your favourite combatants in this gladiatorial arena,” Kiara announced, mimicking the style of a wrestling MC or someone similar, “The tiefling who dominated last season’s tournament with the devastating combination of her vicious trident and her unpredictable sorcery, I’d like you all to put your hands together for Criella, the countess of chaos!” Nate played along, joining Johnny in clapping for a few moments as if the character was actually entering the room, whilst Dave let out a ‘whoop whoop’.

“This should be interesting,” Oli commented, with a twinkle in her eye that seemed to say ‘just wait and see what I’ve got in store’, before her demeanour changed and she dropped into ‘storyteller’ mode. Nate held his breath in anticipation as she began to speak.

“You come to consciousness in dim light, surrounded on all sides by trees for as far as you can see. You don’t remember falling asleep here, and even those of you who were previously in a forest don’t recognise your surroundings. Sitting up and looking around, you spot three other individuals nearby doing the same, none of whom you recognise…”

The game had begun.

***

Hours later, Oli pulled up outside Nate’s mom’s house again, putting the handbrake on but leaving the engine idling.

“I had a great time today. Thanks for playing,” She told Nate, twisting around in her seat to shoot him a warm smile.

“Thank you for DMing,” Nate shot back, grinning with leftover excitement from the game, “That was amazing!” Undoing his seatbelt and grabbing his bag, he put his hand on the door handle and added, “And thanks for the lift. Hopefully we can go for drinks or something before you go home.” Then he got out of the car and headed towards the house, pausing again to turn back when he heard a car door open and shut. Johnny had gotten out, and at Nate’s look of curiosity said, “I’ll walk you to the door.” Several responses immediately came to mind, but Nate shot them down instead just smiled. As they walked the few metres to the front door, he commented, “I like Oli. She’s like you but a lot more talkative.” He shot Johnny a teasing grin at the last part and stopped just shy of the door.

“Nate,” Johnny said, ignoring Nate’s teasing, before leaning in slowly, clearly telegraphing his intentions. Nate had enough time to think, “Holy shit, is this really happening?” and then their lips were touching and Johnny’s hands were cupping his face. He felt like his brain was short circuiting, but he had enough presence of mind left to reach up and grasp Johnny’s biceps to pull him in closer. Kissing back enthusiastically, Nate could scarcely believe his luck. This was the best day ever!

**Author's Note:**

> In the brief moment between Nate and Johnny getting out of the car at the end, Oli definitely elbowed her cousin and urged him to go after Nate.
> 
> I picture Oli looking like an older Gert Yorkes from Runaways, and both she and Kiara are awesome even if this fic doesn’t give them much chance to shine!


End file.
